- Says Zambia set on tying international support to national priorities
MARY LEMBA
Ndola
ZAMBIA has intensified efforts to translate economic reforms into tangible growth, stronger partnerships and improved public spending outcomes during this year’s International Monetary Fund–World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.
In a statement yesterday, Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane said Zambia is focused on aligning international support with national priorities to unlock investment, productivity and opportunities for citizens.
During a bilateral meeting with United Nations Development Programme administrator Alexander De Croo, Dr Musokotwane said there is need to leverage initiatives such as the Green Finance Transition Facility and the Timbuktu Initiative to support Zambia’s development agenda.
“The operationalisation of the Lobito Corridor should go beyond infrastructure to drive industrialisation, value addition and opportunities across mining and agricultural value chains,” he said.
Secretary to the Treasury Felix Nkulukusa said Zambia’s agricultural subsidy reforms are yielding significant gains in efficiency targeting and productivity following the shift to an electronic voucher system.
“The reform addressed weaknesses in the previous system, including poor beneficiary identification and inefficiencies that allowed nongenuine farmers to benefit,” he said.
Mr Nkulukusa said about 212,000 ghost farmers were identified from nearly one million beneficiaries, underscoring the scale of inefficiencies the reforms are correcting.
He said the new system has enhanced farmer choice by allowing beneficiaries to select inputs suited to their local conditions, while reopening the distribution chain to private agro-dealers.
Mr Nkulukusa said Zambia has recorded savings of about US$30 per hectare in input costs, with broader implementation generating annual savings of about US$80 million.
He said the reform, which started with a pilot in 2023, is being implemented in phases and is expected to achieve full nationalcoverage during the 2026/2027 farming season.
Mr Nkulukusa said digitisation and strengthened data systems have improved accountability and reduced leakages, while ongoing collaboration with the World Bank aims to enhance the social registry for better targeting of beneficiaries.
He, however, cautioned that rising fertiliser prices continue to exert pressure on the budget, making poorly targeted subsidy systems increasingly unsustainable…https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home
